Amazon is allegedly working on its own smartphone, which could launch as soon as the second quarter of2013 with a 4.7-inch display.

The details were reported this week by the much maligned publication DigiTimes, which is known for having a questionable track record on rumors of upcoming products, but does occasionally gather accurate information from the tech supply chain. The latest report claims that Amazon originally eyed a 4.3-inch display for its smartphone, but recent trends in the industry to go bigger have led it to choose a 4.7-inch screen.

Amazon's Kindle Fire HD tablet debuted late last year. This year, the company is rumored to launch a smartphone.

According to the report, the handset is expected to be released in the second quarter of 2013, but that may also change. Earlier this month, cnBeta.comreported that Amazon's alleged handset launch was internally postponed due to apparent supply issues.

Development of Amazon's rumored handset reportedly remains fluid, and the retailer is said to be "working on or enhancing other specifications" of the device. It's been said that Foxconn, Apple's longtime manufacturing partner, will be handling assembly duties for Amazon.

Rumors of an Amazon smartphone first began to appear in late 2011, suggesting the retailer wishes to compete with Apple's iPhone and devices running Google's Android platform. The company already offers its touchscreen Kindle Fire tablets, which are sold at low margins to drive digital content sales, and which run a unique forked version of Android.

Market watchers expect Amazon to take a similar approach with a smartphone, selling the hardware essentially at cost in hopes of tying users into its Kindle ecosystem for books, movies, TV shows, applications and other digital content.

For that reason, it's expected that an Amazon phone would compete with low-end Android smartphone makers, rather than Apple's iPhone, which is generally directed at the high end of the market. However, Apple is also rumored to be working on a new, less expensive low-end iPhone that could be sold without a contract in developing countries like China and Brazil.

In America, any one can make a smartphone!
PizzaHut making a smart phone. Innovative design - Disc shaped design. Just to carry the feeling that customers are holding pizza. Pizzahut is calling it PizzaFone.

Customer: What can I do with the disc shaped phone?
PizzaHut: You can order pizzas and many more!

Does anyone know if the Google apps are available on the Amazon Android App Store? If not, I wonder if Google will submit them. Otherwise, Amazon will need their own mapping solution to try to compete?

I can potentially see why Amazon would want to try this, but not sure why consumers would buy into it.

EDIT: Did a quick search for Google Maps and did not see an official app from Google on the Amazon Appstore for Android.

Does anyone know if the Google apps are available on the Amazon Android App Store? If not, I wonder if Google will submit them. Otherwise, Amazon will need their own mapping solution to try to compete?

I can potentially see why Amazon would want to try this, but not sure why consumers would buy into it.

EDIT: Did a quick search for Google Maps and did not see an official app from Google on the Amazon Appstore for Android.

I believe Kindle runs on Android. Can't they access PlayStore? I dont know.

I believe Kindle runs on Android. Can't they access PlayStore? I dont know.

Looks like you can hack it to side load apps from Google Play. Not sure how many non-techies would do this. Again, what would be the advantage for consumers to get this and have to hack it to get to Google Play vs just buying a real Android phone?

In America, any one can make a smartphone!
PizzaHut making a smart phone. Innovative design - Disc shaped design. Just to carry the feeling that customers are holding pizza. Pizzahut is calling it PizzaFone.

Customer: What can I do with the disc shaped phone?
PizzaHut: You can order pizzas and many more!

Yep, hit and miss with DT. Though they do help us understand the inside knowledge behind our tech. Obviously, this will be the biggest thing to happen to the phone market for many a year, especially so in the US where competition is far more stifled.

I'm sure Amazon would love for people to pay for their advertising and data mining conduit disguised as a phone. Next up, Facebook makes a smart phone. You can trust Facebook with your information, because Facebook is all about privacy.

Despite the DigiTimes source, I also think its not beyond Amazon to try this. They've already dipped their toe into overseas consumer electronics manufacturing with the Kindles. This seems like a logical next step, because they want to build out their content delivery business. Unlike Google, whose focus seems to be "all information, freely available on the web and copyrights be damned," Amazon wants a device/content ecosystem much like Apple.

The new Amazon smartphone with 4.7" screen also comes with a free set of training wheels for those who have trouble holding the hulking handset without assistance. Add-ons for a pop-up toaster and portable air freshener are rumored to be coming soon!

In America, any one can make a smartphone!
PizzaHut making a smart phone. Innovative design - Disc shaped design. Just to carry the feeling that customers are holding pizza. Pizzahut is calling it PizzaFone.

Customer: What can I do with the disc shaped phone?
PizzaHut: You can order pizzas and many more!

The problem for Amazon is that the web browser will be stifled, and side loading may hit snags when google API's are needed. That means they have to compete to match the likes of what Safari and Chrome offer. Could be good for competition spurring Chrome and Safari onto even better things.

Market watchers expect Amazon to take a similar approach with a smartphone, selling the hardware essentially at cost in hopes of tying users into its Kindle ecosystem for books, movies, TV shows, applications and other digital content.

There's only room for one ecosystem per device. And that means the Kindle ecosystem for an Amazon device.

And that means the Amazon smartphone, if there really is one, will run the Amazon fork of Android.

This seems to be the ultimate fate of Android: catastrophic fragmentation among the generic also-rans,

and proprietary forking among the few profitable Android hardware makers (Amazon, Samsung.)

Google's problem is that the also-rans and forkers alike will strip out Google's profit layer and replace

How do you differentiate your phone so it's not just another Android device with your logo slapped on it?

Personally I wonder if this isn't really good news for Apple. If many players can create their own little ecosystems, maybe it helps the idea of having those multiple ecosystems, rather than just one big Android World.

The Kindle is selling so well that Amazon refuses to release sales figures. Nobody needs or wants an Amazon phone, are you kidding? And is it better than the TargetPhone, the WalmartPhone, or the KmartPhone? Absolutely stupid story, even dumber idea.

I use Google only for "Search." The rest of the stuff is crap, i.e., gmail, Android, docs, etc.

I use Amazon to check prices and order some stuff. But the rest of their offerings are crap and I include the Kindle!

I use Sprint b/c I have to. I used ATT and gave up on them when I bought an iPad and if I tethered would lose my grandfathered in unlimited Data. WTF!

I would never sign up with Verizon.

Sprint was the lesser of the three evils.

I cut the Cocks' cable 4-5 years ago. I don't mind watching commercials if the TV is free. I don't mind paying $100/mo if there are no commercials. But I'll be damned if I'm going to pay $100/mo and have to endure inane commercials as well.

I have the cheapest internet thru Cocks cuz I have to.

I love Apple and have respect for Honda, Toyota and Porsche and that's about it for large corporations! :)

P.S. I love Apple for a lot of reasons, build quality, excellence, etc. But I really like their efforts to create a seamless eco-system. This is where every other tech company falls down and will never catch up with Apple. It's not in their DNA. E.g., Sony, Nokia, MS, Dell, HP, Blackberry, Motorola, Google, Amazon, Samsung, ATT, Verizon, Sprint, and on and on. :)

One thing that Amazon may have going for them would be the price. Their tablets are very competitively priced and if the phone was cheap and good quality then I suspect it would be popular. A lot of folks, especially the pre-paid set would likely be into this. If they could offer something like this for $200 w/o a contract it could very well be a big seller.

Let's do it for existing products then: why would I want to buy a kindle fire over a nexus 7 with a kindle app?

No idea. But I once heard Google fans talk glowingly about "choice." I've discontinued using e-Ink Kindle after I bought a Kindle book that would not load on e-Ink Kindles! It could only be viewed with the Kindle Apps.

I use Google only for "Search." The rest of the stuff is crap, i.e., gmail, Android, docs, etc.

I use Amazon to check prices and order some stuff. But the rest of their offerings are crap and I include the Kindle!

I use Sprint b/c I have to. I used ATT and gave up on them when I bought an iPad and if I tethered would lose my grandfathered in unlimited Data. WTF!

I would never sign up with Verizon.

Sprint was the lesser of the three evils.

I cut the Cocks' cable 4-5 years ago. I don't mind watching commercials if the TV is free. I don't mind paying $100/mo if there are no commercials. But I'll be damned if I'm going to pay $100/mo and have to endure inane commercials as well.

I have the cheapest internet thru Cocks cuz I have to.

I love Apple and have respect for Honda, Toyota and Porsche and that's about it for large corporations! :)

P.S. I love Apple for a lot of reasons, build quality, excellence, etc. But I really like their efforts to create a seamless eco-system. This is where every other tech company falls down and will never catch up with Apple. It's not in their DNA. E.g., Sony, Nokia, MS, Dell, HP, Blackberry, Motorola, Google, Amazon, Samsung, ATT, Verizon, Sprint, and on and on. :)

Amazon Kindle has been VERY profitable, even if though they are losing money on the hardware (or at least not making money).

How do you define profitable when they barely are above breaking even even in quarters they are profitable. How much are you suggesting they are losing per HW device to claim that Kindle eBook(?) are "VERY profitable?

This bot has been removed from circulation due to a malfunctioning morality chip.

How do you define profitable when they barely are above breaking even even in quarters they are profitable. How much are you suggesting they are losing per HW device to claim that Kindle eBook(?) are "VERY profitable?